Moon Hooch have released "Nonphysical," the second single from the band's forthcoming studio album, 'Life On Other Planets' due out January 10. The double saxophone and drums trio are currently on a West Coast tour that closes out this weekend with sold out shows in Seattle and Portland before heading back to the East Coast to wrap up 2019 with a run of New England dates, including Port City Music Hall in Portland, ME on New Year's Eve.
Recorded in a series of stunning, single-take performances, 'Life On Other Planets' may be the purest distillation of Moon Hooch's sound yet. There's no studio magic here, just three musicians (saxophonist Wenzl McGowan and Mike Wilbur and drummer James Muschler) who share a telepathic connection that transcends language, genre and tradition. The nine tracks on 'Life on Other Planets' mix elements of jazz, punk, funk, and EDM, swirling them all into an instrumental maelstrom the band calls 'cave music'—derived from house music, but more jagged and primitive. The basic song structures had been developed over five or six years of touring and experimenting, however the majority of the recordings were completely improvised on the spot, much like one of the band's hallmark live shows.
As Moon Hooch has done since the release of their debut album in 2013, they'll tour extensively in 2020. The first leg of tour dates in support of 'Life On Other Planets' is comprised of 20 U.S. shows blanketing the East Coast through January and February, while a 14-date European run will follow in March and April with stops in Czech Republic, France, Belgium and Switzerland.
Moon Hooch got their start nearly a decade ago busking on the streets of New York City, where they earned a reputation for raucous performances that overflowed with joyful abandon. When their impromptu subway platform sets began turning entire stations into commuter dance parties, the NYPD had to ban them from locations that couldn't handle the crowds. Within just a few short years, the trio was selling out headline shows around the world and sharing bills with Mike Doughty, They Might Be Giants and Marco Benevento, while performing on television alongside the likes of Tame Impala and James Blake. As the scale of their performances grew, so did the band’s sound: they began fleshing out their live setup with synthesizers, electronic wind instruments, and a "Reverse DJ" setup, which processed the live sound from their horns through Ableton software in order to expand the possible range of sound and textures. NPR praised the group's 2016 record, 'Red Sky,' as "mesmerizing" and "muscular," while The Guardian hailed it's infectious techno-fueled dance grooves."
MOON HOOCH
Tour Dates
12/13 - Seattle, WA - Nectar Lounge (Sold Out)
12/14 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge (Sold Out)
12/15 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
12/27 - Greenfield, MA - Hawks & Reed
12/28 - Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair
12/29 - Burlington, VT - Higher Ground
12/31 - Portland, ME - Port City Music Hall
1/22 – Hartford, CT – Infinity Music Hall & Bistro
1/23 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
1/24 – Philadelphia, PA – Ardmore Music Hall
1/25 – Harrisburg, PA – Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center (HMAC)
1/26 – Winchester, VA – The Bright Box
1/30 – Covington, KY – Madison Live
1/31 – Louisville, KY – Zanzabar
2/1 – Nashville, TN – High Watt
2/5 – Dallas, TX – Gas Monkey *
2/6 – Austin, TX – Antone’s *
2/7 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall *
2/8 – New Orleans, LA – One Eyed Jacks *
2/12 – Charleston, SC – Charleston Pour House ^
2/13 – Asheville, NC – Asheville Music Hall ^
2/14 – Charlotte, NC – Neighborhood Theater ^
2/15 – Greensboro, NC – Blind Tiger ^
2/16 – Raleigh, NC – Pour House ^
2/20 – Virginia Beach, VA – The Bunker Brewhall ^
2/21 – Richmond, VA – The Camel ^
2/22 – Washington DC – U Street Music Hall
3/11 – Brussels, BE – Atelier 210
3/12 – Massy, Paris, FR – Centre Paul Bailliart
3/13 – Toulouse, FR – Salle Nougaro
3/14 – Agen, FR – Le Florida
3/15 – Bordeaux, FR – Rocher de Parlmer
3/17 - Lille, FR – Le’ Aeronef
3/18 – Metz, FR – Les Trinitaires
3/20 – Chalons-en-Champagne, FR – Le Comete
3/23 – Zurich, SWI – Moods
3/24 – Paris, FR – New Morning
3/26 – Marseille, FR – Le Moulin
3/28 – Corsica, FR – Aghja
4/24 – Prague, CZ – Roxy
4/25 – Prague, CZ – Palac Acropolis
* w/ The Main Squeeze
^ w/ paris_monster
